This invention is directed to the field of medical diagnostic instruments, and in particular to a preferred interconnection between a gage housing and an inflatable sleeve of a blood pressure measuring apparatus.
Typical blood pressure measuring instruments include an inflatable sleeve which is wrapped about the limb (i.e., arm or leg) of a patient. A pneumatic bulb is tethered by a hose and is fully interconnected to the sleeve interior. A gage which includes a dial face having a set of indicia is separately interconnected also by means of a hose to the sleeve interior. The gage includes an interior movement mechanism which is responsive to changes in pressure within the sleeve interior. The pressure changes produce circumferential movement of an indicating member attached to the movement mechanism relative to the set of indicia on the dial face of the gage.
Both the gage and the pneumatic bulb are tethered individually to the sleeve which includes corresponding barbs or receiving ports which permit fluid communication with the interior of the sleeve.
More recently, Applicants have devised a blood pressure measuring apparatus, such as described in copending U.S. Ser. No. 09/669,474, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference in which the gage is directly attached to a port or socket which is integrally provided in the inflatable sleeve. This form of attachment is advantageous because the apparatus is far more compact than previously known devices of this type. Furthermore, the attachment eliminates any need for hoses between the gage and the inflatable sleeve. Moreover, the gage can be rotatably attached to the socket/sleeve permitting both left and right limb attachment and also allowing both a care giver and the patient to easily read the dial face of the gage and perform a blood pressure measurement.
There is still a general need in the field, however, to further simplify the manufacture and design of a blood pressure measuring apparatus.
According to an embodiment of the invention, there is described a blood pressure measuring apparatus comprising an inflatable sleeve having at least one port and a pneumatic bulb tethered to said sleeve through a hose, one end of said hose being attached to said pneumatic bulb and a remaining end of said hose being attached to a port on said sleeve. The measuring apparatus further includes a gage having a dial face with readable indicia and a movement mechanism which is responsive to fluid pressure changes in said sleeve, said gage being directly attached to said at least one socket of said inflatable sleeve, the socket permitting one end of the gage to be directly connected to the sleeve without the use of a hose.
A port is provided to receive the hose end extending from the pneumatic bulb wherein this receiving port can be provided on at least one of the sleeve socket and the gage.
In either instance, and by providing the receiving port on either the socket or the gage which directly mounts to the inflatable sleeve, the design and manufacturability of a blood pressure measuring apparatus is greatly simplified in comparison to previously known apparatus of this type.
According to another embodiment of the invention, there is described a blood pressure measuring apparatus including an inflatable sleeve having at least one port sized for directly receiving a gage wherein the gage includes an engagement portion which is sealingly fitted into said at least one port. The gage further includes a receiving port for receiving fluid input from a pneumatic means, such as a depressible bulb which is attached thereto.
According to yet another embodiment of the invention, there is disclosed a blood pressure measuring apparatus including an inflatable sleeve containing a pair or sockets each sized for receiving the mating end of a gage. A receiving port is provided on at least one of the sockets or the gage to permit attachment of a depressible bulb or other pneumatic means used to inflate the sleeve.